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5.20.2011

this gem can be easily overlooked in a field of flashy buttercups and queen-anne's lace

Around here, we call it "blue star grass", but it isn't grass, its a tiny perennial of the Iris family. I mentioned it a while back, and Aunty said she had never heard of it so I am posting these photos for her. These are very small, about a quarter inch bloom on a spindly grass-like stem.

I have some problems with my field. A horrific weed has taken over. I am reluctant to use herbicides on the field because it is very meadow-like with its mix of wildflowers and grasses. I dont want to kill the blue stars! So I take a section every afternoon and dig up the bad weeds. It might take a year and Im not kidding. What I would do if money were no object is to plow and reseed the entire thing with a meadow mix.

blue stars on the indispensable distressed sideboard in my studio

I've let the field grow high so that the seed pods of the grasses can drop. Now that it is so overgrown I can see what I have: oxeye daisies, buttercups, clover, rye, fescue, wild yarrow, rudbeckia, a variety of early asters and the blue stars. I used to keep the field cut and trim, which is pleasing to my eye because it makes my place look tidy and bigger, but I think I made the weeds worse by doing this as the grasses didnt get to seed but the fast growing uber-survivor weeds did. So, that is a policy that has been amended.

What else is going on in the garden? (not much, we are in transition from spring to summer food. I harvested all the lettuce, spinach and radish. Carrots are still growing and tomatoes, squash, beans and pumpkins arent much to look at right now. In the meantime, heres this):

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. I will be getting footage around the county for the Chamber of Commerce tourism videos. Planned stops: the fish hatchery, u-pick strawberries at Merciers Orchards, tubers on the Oconee, and whatever else I can find. Wish I could get some decent footage of the bear whos been tearing down my bird feeders. (I started bringing them in at night) Right now, I am going to have a glass of iced sun tea on my back porch and watch the hens scratch around. See you Monday!

today i took students outside. when i looked down i was standing amidst these lovely little blue flowers. i wish i had my camera at that moment.i love these photos. Is the red flower a poppy? it's not dark in the center though.

Yikes! I've seen how many of those weeds you have and it really could take a year to get rid of them, but I also admire you reluctance to poison the dirt. Good for you.

You have a ton of strawberries. I'm serous when I say if the Market was open in May, you could sell those. They are beautiful and taste wonderful.

I video taped the sound the water makes while sitting on your back porch and I play it every so often. The only thing I can't replicate through pictures, your posts or my videos? The smell. It's heavenly.

Have a great weekend. Good luck with your video trek and enjoy the chickens.

Those blue flowers are sweet! We have many types of iris here in the Northwest, but I've never seen those before! I'm envious. I'm so glad you're not nuking your soil, even if it takes more work. Maybe there are some young, ambitious teenagers in your area that would help you out for cheap??

Beautiful photographs of your flowers and fruits; I especially love the photo of the poppy and one dog and your delicate Blue Star Grass is so pretty.I always enjoy my visits here; have a lovely weekend sweet girl.

Really pretty tiny flowers!I LOVE the poppy and puppy photo. I can't believe you have a bear taking your bird feeders, over here we only have to worry about the squirrels (which are not as exciting as bears)!Enjoy your tea and the rest of the weekend!Dan-x-

Hey Ande, remember that the "weeds" are not there to annoy you, they are there to do what Mother Nature sent them to do. If you spend all that energy removing them they will just come again, because their job will remain undone. Let them work. If they aren't part of the mature ecosystem around you they will go away on their own in time.

silas: i just learned a new word! thanks, Bokeh. well, XL taught me that. I never really understood the whole f-stop and aperture thing. the setting i like is aperture priority. its the best setting for getting that bokeh. My only disappointment with this camera is the macro isnt all that, but when this camera gets it right, its awesome. the post on clovers two down illustrate that (i think). good to see you - got those zinnias in the ground...a few have sprouted!

aunty: i cant believe how many berries i have gotten from that small patch. I have them frozen in individual packs of just enough for a smoothie or 2 strawberry shortcakes. That star grass is a sweet blue, isnt it?

faery: its been pretty good...i had a disturbing discovery in the creek last night and it upset me-a dead baby bird. crushed!

foam: these are Shirley poppies. They are red and pinks on one plant. some of the reds have the classic black centers. Im planting more for fall. I like the orange ones too.

boxer: see the upcoming comment to tripp on the weeds. I wont have any strawberries when the market opens. what dolts. waiting until june is DUMB. I had to harvest all the spinach and the radish are all gone too. I still have carrots growing. dear God let them be pretty and tasty. I love the idea of you listening to the creek all the way across the country. I can still smell honeysuckle on the wind.

debora: i just the weeding as a meditation time. Im with my mom for most of it. Its a very satisfying task actually -but its a huge task. The star grass is part of what i dont want to be choked out.

jenner: we didnt get much rain last week. there was a horrible layer of white unproductive clouds for days and it was cold. i was very blue. im a person that would die in alaska when it gets dark at 3 pm. i need light! i cant wait to see how your garden grows!

diane: im very glad that you do. I noticed i have some of last years nasturtium coming back up. if i get the yellows, i will post them for you. its the "alaska" mix.

dan: oh yes, we have bears. And when the bear comes the dogs and dying to get out. Of course i dont let them, a black bear will run but if he has to, he could spin around and rake those claws into dog flesh and hurt them bad or kill them even. I use my car's alarm to scare the bear off. In my barn is a graveyard of bird feeder pieces, thanks to the bear.

tripp: i understand this principle. i really do. however, this particular weed is more than annoying. this is invasion. it has choked out every other species where ever it is. I cant believe for a minute that the greater good is a one note field. how does that serve the interests of this ecosystem? I have clovers, and daisies, buttercups, little ferns, about 4 grass varieties, lobelia, asters, and things i dont know what they are. There is no way having one kind of hideous plant over two acres is a good thing. Its very fleshy like lettuce on the bottom and it sends up this gross purple flower. I freaking HATE it. im sorry dude, Fukuoka be darned, its got to GO>

Thanks to our horrific drought, there is no wildflower flush this year. I did a 7 mile trek up the mountain yesterday on a trail usually lined with wild iris and at least five other species of wildflower. Nothing. I'm so sad. And I'm battling a flock of nesting Scrub Jays in the War of Moi's Lettuces. Forkers. (I wonder if jays taste good?)

Anyway, your lovely photos of your lush world (with the exception of the weeds) did my heart good. Too bad I can't reach through the screen and pluck.

Have fun on your video journey. Sounds like a perfect way to spend the day!

Oh goodie, goodie, goodie! I love the time of year when you post of the garden and the Saturday market.So nice of you to bring us along on this part of your journey. I love the first photo of the bean vine. it speaks of earthly goodness.

Too bad about the weeds. I have struggled this year with some horrid blight trying to wipe out my courtyard garden. I finally had to get out the chemicals :-(

Hey there Miss Chickadee! I love the photos and I have never seen the bluestar either. Love LOVE the color of it. Would like to see it in relation to size ... looks big in the pic but is maybe smaller/dandelion like? Our wildflowers here are late coming out also. We're just now getting some rain (but yay that horrendous weather has missed us this year) ... I put up my "Old FLorida" picsw for you~ didn't find as many as I had hoped but I had fun going back to the 70s for a while.

moi: we are actually a bit dry here too. Im worried. some of the pines are looking stressed. weather is getting extreme either it is a deluge or drought. grrrrrrI hope I get to see those scrub jays when i come ut- never have seen one. we have blue jays...not scrubs.

fishy: they started the farmers market too late. makes me crazy! But im looking forward to it. friday nights i cant meet friends at the brewery anymore because i have to stage the farmers market on friday nights. i love that actually.

xdell: i sure hope it is. this is a big project with tons of footage. My biggest issue is storing the clips on an external drive and having it interface with imovie well. i really need to go to final cut but i can have a learning curve in the middle of a project.

pam: i wouldnt mind having more blue star grass. not at all, and tried to locate a source for seed yesterday. I loved you vacation photos! i really did.

Thank you dear chickory, I planted the remaining nasturtium seeds from the packet which was marked as a mix of yellow, orange and red. These have all come up, fingers crossed that there is at least one yellow flower amongst them. I could not find an 'Alaska Mix' here but I shall keep trying, I look forward to seeing your yellow nasturtiums when they flower. :)xoxoxo ✿ ♡ ✿

aunty" tripps blog (small batch garden) has a lot about permaculture. he is homesteading a place near Tifton.

Dianne: too bad - i know i cannot send you seeds but I will cross my fingers that you get yellows!

dani: thank you! Im sad to see the spring food go. Im not that into summer food.

neil: what a treasure your poems are. thank you -and the stars are bluer than any river... amazing little bloom on that grass.

pam: im interested! fun.

Troll: no its one of those "share it with everyone you know and get them to vote for you". Im gonna try with the Frida one, but I bet they go with a mexican artist. just from what Ive been reading. man id love to win some prize money. tree work!

aunty: gettin better. no it wasnt that Koby is too big -I was not properly accessorized.